Robert Smithson Essay
Robert Smithson
Artist:
Robert Smithson, born 2 January 1938, was an American artist. Unfortunately he passed away on the 20th July 1973, at the age of 35, in a plane crash. While Smithson was still at High School (in Clifton, New Jersey during the 1950s), he attended art classes on the side. These art classes were at the Art Students League of New York in 1955 and 1956. Attending these classes allowed him to satisfy his creative passion for art. Another popular artist who attended the Art Students League of New York was Roy Lichtenstein. A little while after Smithson studied at A.S.L.N.Y. he studied at the Brooklyn Museum School. Through Smithson’s studies and training, he became fascinated with some Abstract Expressionists, e.g. David Smith, …show more content…
However, Smithson’s artwork did not portray heavily on the world events during that time. This is because nature was his main focus. Smithson’s earthworks, in particular, are only obviously connected to technology. This can be seen in two of his earthworks, Asphalt Rundown and Concrete Pour. The asphalt and concrete in the two art pieces are like Smithson’s way of showing how technology can change nature as well as change with nature over time.
Rather than being interested in political artworks, Smithson was interested in the concept of entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, geology and mineralogy. Due to these interests, Smithson created earthworks displaying these ideas and his “nonsites” were also organic and based upon natural elements and concepts. …show more content…
Smithson also produced another short documentary called Swamp, with his wife, Nancy Holt.
Frame – Structural:
Spiral Jetty, created by Robert Smithson is one of his most famous earthworks. The earthwork is 460m long, 4.6m wide and made entirely of mud, salt crystals and basalt rocks. The sculpture is situated in the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah.
Smithson apparently chose the Rozel Point site based on the blood like red colour of the water and its contact with the primordial sea. He was attracted to the site because of the stark anti-pastoral beauty and industrial fragments from nearby Golden Spike National Historic Site, as well as an old pier and a few unused oil rigs. Old and used materials were included into Spiral Jetty to give the concept of entropy – one of Smithson’s favourite concepts.
Bob Phillips was hired to move the materials in and around the lake. Phillips used two dump trucks, a large tractor and a front end loader to haul the 6650 tons of rock and earth into the lake. It was reported that Smithson had struggled to convince a contractor to accept the odd
Artist:
Robert Smithson, born 2 January 1938, was an American artist. Unfortunately he passed away on the 20th July 1973, at the age of 35, in a plane crash. While Smithson was still at High School (in Clifton, New Jersey during the 1950s), he attended art classes on the side. These art classes were at the Art Students League of New York in 1955 and 1956. Attending these classes allowed him to satisfy his creative passion for art. Another popular artist who attended the Art Students League of New York was Roy Lichtenstein. A little while after Smithson studied at A.S.L.N.Y. he studied at the Brooklyn Museum School. Through Smithson’s studies and training, he became fascinated with some Abstract Expressionists, e.g. David Smith, …show more content…
However, Smithson’s artwork did not portray heavily on the world events during that time. This is because nature was his main focus. Smithson’s earthworks, in particular, are only obviously connected to technology. This can be seen in two of his earthworks, Asphalt Rundown and Concrete Pour. The asphalt and concrete in the two art pieces are like Smithson’s way of showing how technology can change nature as well as change with nature over time.
Rather than being interested in political artworks, Smithson was interested in the concept of entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, geology and mineralogy. Due to these interests, Smithson created earthworks displaying these ideas and his “nonsites” were also organic and based upon natural elements and concepts. …show more content…
Smithson also produced another short documentary called Swamp, with his wife, Nancy Holt.
Frame – Structural:
Spiral Jetty, created by Robert Smithson is one of his most famous earthworks. The earthwork is 460m long, 4.6m wide and made entirely of mud, salt crystals and basalt rocks. The sculpture is situated in the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah.
Smithson apparently chose the Rozel Point site based on the blood like red colour of the water and its contact with the primordial sea. He was attracted to the site because of the stark anti-pastoral beauty and industrial fragments from nearby Golden Spike National Historic Site, as well as an old pier and a few unused oil rigs. Old and used materials were included into Spiral Jetty to give the concept of entropy – one of Smithson’s favourite concepts.
Bob Phillips was hired to move the materials in and around the lake. Phillips used two dump trucks, a large tractor and a front end loader to haul the 6650 tons of rock and earth into the lake. It was reported that Smithson had struggled to convince a contractor to accept the odd